LifeNet Health LifeSciences partners with CN Bio to set a new standard for cell quality and performance

Virginia Beach, Va. (Sept. 6, 2023) — Microphysiological systems hold the promise of revolutionizing compound discovery and safety testing — but only if researchers have access to high-quality, reliable 3D cells. LifeNet Health LifeSciences has been at the forefront of addressing this challenge, and recently the organization took another key step by entering into an agreement to supply and distribute hepatic cells to CN Bio, a leading organ-on-a-chip company that manufactures single- and multi-organ MPS platforms.

This partnership represents a joint effort to set a new standard for cell quality across the industry.

Both LifeNet Health and CN Bio are global leaders, with a shared commitment to helping researchers bring safer, more effective therapies to patients sooner, with no unnecessary animal testing. Under the new agreement, LifeNet Health and CN Bio will use a stringent process to validate select hepatocyte, stellate, and Kupffer cells from LifeNet Health’s extensive portfolio as part of CN Bio’s NASH-in-a-box kit for use in its PhysioMimix® organ-on-a-chip range of MPS. The MPS-validated cells will also be available directly from LifeNet Health.

This partnership will ensure that CN Bio customers have access to some of the most highly characterized hepatic cells available today — with larger lots, greater donor diversity, and more complete donor medical and genetic information — for the recreation of advanced liver-on-a-chip assays.

Leading scientists from both organizations agree that lot validation in standard static 2D or 3D cell cultures does not guarantee primary cell performance in perfused MPS cultures. Prequalified cells help ensure the delivery of robust and reliable human-relevant data. “Our cells are fully characterized for quality and performance, to ensure they can perform in advanced platforms, to more effectively mimic in vivo biology,” said LifeNet Health Chief Scientist Ed LeCluyse, PhD.

LifeNet Health cells have consistently demonstrated higher success rates in CN Bio studies, according to Tomasz Kostrzewski, PhD, the company’s Chief Scientific Officer. “Validation of cells is a costly and laborious process, but one that is imperative for assay success. Harnessing our combined technical expertise and customer support, we can offer researchers a more complete solution to easily recreate our industry-leading liver models, removing the risk of failed experiments due to untested cells and the burden of in-house quality control testing.”

LifeNet Health LifeSciences offers the largest selection of comprehensively characterized liver cells and tissue in the industry, including healthy and diseased donor-matched samples. The organization is the only biospecimens provider in the world that spans the donation continuum — from ethical donor consent, to protocol-based recovery by highly trained personnel, to tightly controlled transport logistics with minimal ischemia time. Cells are isolated, preserved, and fully characterized by world-class scientists. Customers also benefit from advanced technical support.

“We are committed to fully honoring every donor gift to advance health around the world,” said LifeNet Health President and CEO Rony Thomas. “This partnership will allow us to move compound discovery and safety testing forward by providing a higher standard of cells to our MPS partners.”

Learn more about this announcement by clicking here. You can also visit CN-bio.com.